Written Answers Tuesday 24 January 2006

Scottish Executive

2014 Commonwealth Games

Alex Neil (Central Scotland) (SNP): To ask the Scottish Executive, further to the answer to question S2W-21638 by Patricia Ferguson on 12 January 2006 and if, in the event of a successful bid by Glasgow for the 2014 Commonwealth Games it does become apparent "that the UK will accrue similar benefits on a smaller scale" to those that the Executive and Her Majesty’s Government expect the 2012 London Olympics to accrue for the United Kingdom, whether the Executive will seek similar financial support for the Glasgow Commonwealth Games from Her Majesty’s Government to that which Scotland has committed, and will commit, to the London Olympics.

Patricia Ferguson: The Scottish Executive has no plans at present to seek additional financial support from Her Majesty’s Government although its help in areas such as security and visas will be most important. The only financial support that Scotland has committed to the London Olympics is £25 million of sports lottery funding all of which is to be spent in Scotland, on Scottish athletes. The Scottish Executive is exploring the possibilities of lottery monies being available to help fund the 2014 Commonwealth Games.

2014 Commonwealth Games

Alex Neil (Central Scotland) (SNP): To ask the Scottish Executive, further to the answer to S2W-21638 by Patricia Ferguson on 12 January 2006, whether the Executive plans to undertake an analysis of whether the United Kingdom as a whole is likely to accrue benefits from Glasgow hosting the 2014 Commonwealth Games.

Patricia Ferguson: The Scottish Executive has no plans to undertake such analysis at this time.

Drug Misuse

Fiona Hyslop (Lothians) (SNP): To ask the Scottish Executive how many drug rehabilitation places are available in Scotland.

Hugh Henry: Drug rehabilitation services are provided in a variety of settings, including out-patient clinics, day hospitals, residential facilities and by voluntary organisations within the community. Services are often offered to people with problems with drugs or alcohol or both. It is not always possible to separate drug treatment places from alcohol treatment places. The number of places within Scotland is not held centrally.

  The expanded Scottish Drug Misuse Database will, in time, provide information on the total number of people receiving treatment and the type of treatment they are receiving.

Elderly People

Mary Scanlon (Highlands and Islands) (Con): To ask the Scottish Executive how it will ensure that adequate care beds and hospital treatment are provided for geriatric patients.

Lewis Macdonald: Services are delivered locally and it is therefore the responsibility of individual local authorities and NHS boards to determine and provide appropriate service provision to meet local needs and priorities from within the substantial resources available to them. This includes provision in the current year for spending by local authorities of £1.6 billion on community care and funding in the current year of £8.8 billion to the NHS.

  Building a Health Service Fit for The Future (Bib. number 36608) and the Executive’s response Delivering for Health (Bib. number 37847) set a clear direction for the development of services in the future, including for older people. We expect NHS boards and Regional Planning Groups to use them to deliver services and to drive their service improvement.

  The Range and Capacity Review Group is also looking at future care services for older people and investigating how services can be used as an alternative to long-term residential care. They are considering a range of issues such as more flexible services, step-up and step-down, and preventative care of long-term conditions. The group’s findings are due in the spring.

Environment

Richard Lochhead (North East Scotland) (SNP): To ask the Scottish Executive what steps are being taken to improve the resilience of homes and the built environment in respect of the impacts of climate change.

Johann Lamont: I have asked Dr. Paul Stollard, Chief Executive of the Scottish Building Standards Agency (SBSA), to answer. His response is as follows:

  The Scottish Building Standards Technical Handbooks include reference to The Design Guidance on Flood Damage to Dwellings and Preparing for Floods. Both documents describe the likely effects of flooding on materials and elements of the building and assess various forms of construction and measures to reduce the risk of flood damage in dwellings.

  The resilience of buildings at risk of flooding is addressed in Scottish Planning Policy 7 – Planning and Flooding, which says that water resistant materials and forms of construction should be used as appropriate and conditions may be attached to planning permissions.

  Planning Advice Note 69: Planning and Building Standards Advice on Flooding, published by the Scottish Executive in 2004, includes advice on flood resistant and resilient materials, and construction techniques. It has been referenced in replacement pages for the technical handbooks, due to be issued in February 2006. Additionally, the SBSA has also contributed to research presently being carried out by the Construction Industry Research and Information Association (CIRIA) on Improving the Flood Resistance of Buildings Through Improved Materials, Methods and Details.

  New guidance will be issued by the SBSA on 1 February on greywater recycling and rainwater harvesting to reduce dependence on mains water. Guidance on sustainable urban drainage systems has been included in building regulations for several years. The agency also is soon to go to consultation on proposals to revise the guidance to the building regulations to take account of increased incidence of driving rain and wind loading and changed snow loadings.

  Together with the Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs (Defra) and the other devolved administrations, the Scottish Executive is consulting on a National Adaptation Policy Framework that will develop a strategic approach to climate change adaptation and assist in identifying key risks and opportunities from the impacts of climate change.

European Funding

Alex Neil (Central Scotland) (SNP): To ask the Scottish Executive what impact the new EU budget 2007-13 will have on regional development funding.

Allan Wilson: Under the agreement reached between member states on the EU budget 2007-13 on 16 December 2005 Structural Funds will continue to be available throughout Scotland. It is not yet possible to quantify the economic impact of this agreement on regional development funding.

  It has yet to be clarified how this funding will be divided between the European Social Fund (ESF) and the European Regional Development Fund (ERDF). The Executive is currently proposing four future programmes for Scotland: one ERDF and one ESF programme each for Highlands and Islands and for lowland and upland Scotland.

  Final funding figures are subject to agreement between the UK Government and Devolved Administrations and the Scottish Executive is actively involved in arguing Scotland’s case with partners in the UK Government and the devolved administrations.

European Funding

Robin Harper (Lothians) (Green): To ask the Scottish Executive whether the removal, under certain circumstances, of the right to appeal against funding decisions under measure 2.4 of the European Social Fund Objective 3 Programme was a decision of the Scottish ESF Objective 3 Partnership or the Executive.

Allan Wilson: The Objective 3 ESF Programme Monitoring Committee took the decision on the appeals process for the 6th Round of the Programme in 2005. In arriving at a decision on the procedure the Programme Monitoring Committee, which is broadly representative of the partner organisations, took into account the likelihood that insufficient resources would remain in certain measures such as 2.4 to fund all the projects recommended for approval.

European Funding

Robin Harper (Lothians) (Green): To ask the Scottish Executive whether the Objective 3 Programme Management Executive will be allowed to vire funding between measures of the European Social Fund Objective 3 Programme and, if so, when.

Allan Wilson: Any decision on virement of funds between measures within Priorities in the Objective 3 ESF Programme is taken by the Programme Monitoring Committee which is broadly representative of the Partner organisations. The Committee’s next meeting when virement of funds will be discussed is on 30 March 2006.

European Funding

Robin Harper (Lothians) (Green): To ask the Scottish Executive whether it is aware of any uncertainties concerning European Social Fund Objective 3 funding for voluntary organisations and, if so, what steps the Scottish ESF Objective 3 Partnership is taking to address these concerns.

Allan Wilson: The Scottish Executive is very aware of the importance of keeping partner organisations such as the voluntary sector informed about the reducing levels of funding available as the current ESF Objective 3 Programme nears its end, and about the lower amounts of money which will come to Scotland in future 2007-13 Structural Fund Programmes. Partners have been kept informed through a variety of methods ranging from articles in the Objective 3 Newsletter, updates on the Objective 3 website, stakeholder events on the future of the Structural Funds, and individual letters issued to all project contacts.

  Despite the reduction in funding post 2006 it is important to remember that the vast majority of funding for economic development in Scotland comes from domestic sources. The Executive is committed to economic development in Scotland but is not reliant on Structural Funds to continue this agenda.

G8 Summit

Alex Neil (Central Scotland) (SNP): To ask the Scottish Executive what the terms of reference were for the report prepared for it by SQW Economic Development Consultants, Economic Impact of Hosting the 2005 G8 Summit at Gleneagles.

Alex Neil (Central Scotland) (SNP): To ask the Scottish Executive whether the terms of reference for the report prepared for it by SQW Economic Development Consultants into the economic impact of hosting the 2005 G8 summit at Gleneagles included a requirement to analyse the cost to businesses of repairing the damage to private property as a result of protests at the presence of the summit.

Mr Tom McCabe: The terms of reference for the study were as follows:

  Terms Of Reference

  G8 Summit Economic Impact Assessment

  Gleneagles, Scotland

  6 to 8 July 2005

  Introduction

  The annual G8 summit is a forum for leaders from Canada, France, Germany, Italy, Japan, Russia, the United States and the United Kingdom to discuss and take action on major economic and political issues. The scale of the event is such that wherever it is held amongst the G8 nations, there are associated economic impacts as a result of expenditures to prepare for and host the event, as well as from associated media and support services.

  The UK took over the presidency of the G8 forum in 2005 with the summit venue being confirmed as Gleneagles, Scotland and scheduled for 6 to 8 July 2005. Whilst the summit itself will only involve G8 delegations, the Scottish Executive is keen to hold a programme of ancillary events in the preceding period.

  The Scottish Executive and Scottish Enterprise wish to commission a study to assess the economic impact of the summit and supporting events, as well as assessing the value of the media exposure and the broader promotional benefits to Scotland from staging the summit. A separate Commercial Opportunities study, also commissioned jointly by the Executive and Scottish Enterprise, was completed in 2004. The study recommends options that will maximise the procurement benefits available to Scottish based firms and assesses the opportunities to use the leverage of the event to deliver further benefits in line with the Executive’s Enterprise Strategy. The report will be made available to the preferred tenderer and should be fully considered when undertaking this study. In summary, the opportunities identified fall into the following categories; procurement of direct and additional services; sponsorship, profiling and promotion of Scotland; G8 summit themes (Africa and climate control); adding value, and business as usual (ensuring displacement is minimised).

  Costed proposals are invited for the research and this specification outlines the minimum requirements for the work.

  Background

  General: The UK holds the Presidency of the G8 in 2005. The Prime Minister announced that the Summit meeting will be held in Gleneagles, Perthshire, Scotland on 6 to 8 July 2005. G8 countries will be represented at the level of Heads of State or Government. Other Heads of State or Government have been on occasion invited to the G8 summit, by the country holding the Presidency. Participants will arrive on the first day and leave on the third.

  Delegation size and accommodation: All leaders and their immediate delegations will be accommodated at Gleneagles and a normal commercial contract has been agreed with the venue. It is estimated that there will be some 200 people in total, each comprising key advisers, essential security staff, interpreters and a certain number of domestic staff. The exact number of people in each delegation is for the individual country to determine and pay for.

  Transport: While there may be some traffic restrictions on certain roads at certain times, there are no plans to cut Perth off from Edinburgh or Glasgow during the event. There will be increased traffic from time to time in the central belt during the week of the summit but any restrictions will be clearly signed and advance warning given. The exact detail of which airports are to be used is still to be finalised.

  Accommodation: Due to the scale of the event, it is anticipated that hotel accommodation across Scotland will be affected in some way by the huge range of organisations involved in the summit. It will not be necessary however for tourists to avoid Scotland in the week of the summit. Scotland has a stock of excellent facilities and infrastructure which is used to coping well with major international events.

  Media: Based on past experience, there is the possibility of up to 3,000 media representatives covering the summit. Whilst it is hoped that the media will be accommodated as near as possible to the venue, it is likely that media delegates will be accommodated in hotels across central Scotland.

  Sponsorship: There is the possibility of sponsorship for the summit. Contracts will be put out to tender under normal government rules.

  Delegate gifts: Gifts will be given to summit leaders, spouses and other delegates. Promotional packs will also be provided to media delegates.

  Security: The cost of the security operation will be met by the UK Government. Tayside police are liaising with other police forces and government agencies and are confident that there will be no impact on community policing. There is no reason to believe that police cover will be reduced below what is operationally appropriate across Scotland. It is not envisaged that military or policing costs be included in the study.

  Protestors: Legitimate lawful protests will be allowed. It is too early to speculate regarding the numbers of protestors and their intentions.

  Local impact – Auchterarder and area: Any disruption to the local community will be kept to a minimum. Residents will not be prevented from living in their own homes. However, given the significant security implications, it is likely that there will be some disruption to local community service delivery. Given Auchterarder’s proximity to Gleneagles, there will be a need to implement a traffic management plan in the area. Those with a legitimate reason to enter or leave Auchterarder will be allowed access to their homes and businesses.

  To assist with the post-event impact assessment, the preferred tenderer will be provided with any factual information on visitation numbers and expenditures by category when it becomes available.

  G8 Ancillary Events: The Scottish Executive is intent on holding a number of events during the run up to the summit. The key objectives of the events plan are to:

  Showcase Scotland to worldwide audience;

  Maximise economic benefits to Scotland from summit;

  Engage public in debate on and raise awareness of G8 themes of Africa and climate change, and

  Generate a sense of pride across Scotland that we are hosting the leaders of the most powerful countries in the world.

  Some of the events which have been organised, such as the Chambers of Commerce Summit, the Glasgow University Academic Conference and the Commonwealth Local Government Conference, are likely to generate economic impacts in their own right.

  Research Objectives

  The objectives of the study are:

  (i) To measure the economic impact of the G8 summit and supporting events on Tayside and Scotland;

  (ii) To identify the economic value of the media coverage of the summit, and

  (iii) To provide sound analysis which identifies the impact of the summit on Scotland’s image as a tourism destination; events venue; source of desirable products, and place to live, work and do business.

  Research Methods

  It is anticipated that the research will be split into three sections to reflect the objectives set out above. The precise choice of methodology is down to the individual contractor and will differ for each section of the report but it is expected that it will combine both qualitative and quantitative methods and in addition to working with the available secondary data the research will necessitate some primary data-collection. Where this is the case, it is recognised that a single interview or questionnaire of the media/visitor delegation may be sufficient to cover all three objectives of the study and would avoid duplication. We expect tenderers to develop their methodology and to state advantages, disadvantages and possible difficulties with the chosen methodology and how obstacles would be handled and resolved. Further detail on minimum requirements and methodology for each section is provided below.

  Economic Impact Assessment: It is expected that the economic impact assessment will identify and quantify the impact of the G8 summit and supporting events on Tayside and Scotland. The assessment should capture pre-G8 summit activity from delegations, site visits and where possible, events convened as a result of the summit. Full consideration should be given to the short-term impacts, longer term effects and the distributional impacts associated with holding the summit in Scotland. It should include a full analysis of all costs and benefits associated with staging the summit in Scotland, taking into account expenditures by key bodies, delegates and visitors. Tourism impacts should also be captured with full consideration given to hotel occupancy levels and comparisons made with the same period last year. It is anticipated that this will entail primary data gathering, conducted using a combination of interviewer administered and self-completion questionnaires during the course of the summit, the period prior covering the range of ancillary events and also immediately after the summit. It is expected that each of the research groups will be questioned on common areas including visitor expenditure, length and location of stay, type of trip, accommodation used etc. However, given the likelihood that there will be difficulties in communicating directly with all groups, an innovative and original approach will be required and tenderers should outline their proposed methodology in this context.

  The assessment should be carried out in line with Treasury Green Book Guidance1 and the Office of the Deputy Prime Minister’s 3 Rs Guidance2 on appraisal and evaluation. The study on business opportunities, which will be made available to the preferred tenderer should feed in to this work and contribute to the projected impacts associated with the summit.

  Valuation of Media Exposure: It is expected that the media assessment will separately identify the value of international television and written press exposure of Scotland in terms of advertising equivalent expenditure. Tenderers should outline their proposed methodology for collating and valuing international press and television coverage. It is likely that some UK press cuttings on the G8 summit will be collated by the Scottish Executive during the course of the summit and made available to the preferred bidder for valuation according to their proposed methodology.

  Impact on Scotland’s Image: In addition to valuing the media exposure, a broader assessment is required to identify the impact of the Summit on Scotland’s image, for example as a tourism destination; events venue; source of desirable products, and place to live, work and do business. This will, first of all, require a qualitative element to the media assessment outlined above. Second, we are keen to appoint a research team with experience in measuring perceptual and attitudinal change. While this section will require further primary research of visitors/delegates, it is possible that questions aimed at establishing this impact could also be incorporated into other interviews or questionnaires of visitors to Scotland for the summit. Tenderers should outline their proposed methodology for this part of the research.

  Notes:

  1. HM Treasury The Green Book: Appraisal and Evaluation in Central Government, January 2003,

  2. Office of the Deputy Prime Minister "Assessing the impact of Spatial interventions, regeneration, renewal and regional development- the 3Rs Guidance", May 2004.

G8 Summit

Alex Neil (Central Scotland) (SNP): To ask the Scottish Executive what the cost to it was of commissioning SQW Economic Development Consultants to investigate the economic impact of hosting the 2005 G8 summit at Gleneagles.

Mr Tom McCabe: The cost of commissioning the investigation of the economic impact of hosting the 2005 G8 Summit as contracted through the Scottish Executive was £70,866 including VAT. The cost was shared by the Executive and Scottish Enterprise. The Scottish Executive share was £38,294.

G8 Summit

Alex Neil (Central Scotland) (SNP): To ask the Scottish Executive what the detailed methodology used by SQW Economic Development Consultants was in their investigation of the economic impact of hosting the 2005 G8 summit at Gleneagles by which they measured the advertising value equivalent of the "unprecedented media coverage" of Scotland between 2 and 11 July 2005 as a result of the G8 summit as being worth £66.4 million.

Mr Tom McCabe: The methodology for media evaluation is described in annex C of the report which can be found at http://www.scotland.gov.uk/Publications/2005/12/G8Econ . The industry standard methodology was used for calculating the advertising value equivalents of media coverage. The analysis was conducted independently by TNS Media Intelligence.

G8 Summit

Alex Neil (Central Scotland) (SNP): To ask the Scottish Executive how the profile provided for Scotland as a result of the "unprecedented media coverage" between 2 and 11 July 2005 as a result of the G8 summit provides a platform to secure greater economic opportunity in the future across many areas, as stated by SQW Economic Development Consultants in their report on the economic impact of hosting the 2005 G8 summit at Gleneagles, and to what areas the report specifically refers.

Alex Neil (Central Scotland) (SNP): To ask the Scottish Executive what evidence there is that there is any veracity in the statement by SQW Economic Development Consultants in their report, Economic Impact of Hosting the 2005 G8 Summit at Gleneagles , that "the profile that the Summit has generated for Scotland and the potential economic activity that this might lead to in the future is the real value of this investment".

Mr Tom McCabe: Chapter 10 of the report, produced by independent consultants SQW, discusses the potential legacy effects of hosting the summit. These fall within five specific areas: business tourism, leisure tourism, inward investment, export performance and talent attraction. The report can be found at http://www.scotland.gov.uk/Publications/2005/12/G8Econ .

G8 Summit

Alex Neil (Central Scotland) (SNP): To ask the Scottish Executive whether, in its estimate that the Scottish economy benefited by Gleneagles having hosted the 2005 G8 summit, it has accounted for the costs to repair damage to civic and private property by those protesting at the presence of the summit.

Alex Neil (Central Scotland) (SNP): To ask the Scottish Executive, where SQW Economic Development Consultants identify increased costs in a number of cases caused by damages to property in their report, Economic Impact of Hosting the 2005 G8 Summit at Gleneagles , whether these costs have been included in the estimate within that report of the costs and benefits to the Scottish economy by virtue of this summit.

Mr Tom McCabe: The report by SQW points to damage to property only occurring in a small number of cases. For private property, the likely impact on insurance premiums was also assessed and is likely to be negligible. In terms of civic property, £6,720 will be paid to Edinburgh City Council for the clean up of the Jack Kane Centre, Calton Hill, Meadows and Princes Street Gardens; this has been included in the costs. The report can be found at:

  http://www.scotland.gov.uk/Publications/2005/12/G8Econ.

G8 Summit

Alex Neil (Central Scotland) (SNP): To ask the Scottish Executive what methodology was used by SQW Economic Development Consultants to back their statement that the total value of coverage for Scotland as a result of the 2005 G8 summit having been held in Gleneagles in the lead-up to the summit over six months was £618 million, as asserted in the report, Economic Impact of Hosting the 2005 G8 Summit at Gleneagles .

Mr Tom McCabe: Page 32 in chapter 8 of the report, produced by independent consultants SQW, describes how the estimate of £618 million was arrived at. The report can be found at:

  http://www.scotland.gov.uk/Publications/2005/12/G8Econ.

G8 Summit

Alex Neil (Central Scotland) (SNP): To ask the Scottish Executive how SQW Economic Development Consultants measured coverage of Scotland as a result of the 2005 G8 summit being held in Gleneagles as being either neutral, positive or negative in tone, as set out in the report, Economic Impact of Hosting the 2005 G8 Summit at Gleneagles .

Mr Tom McCabe: Page 67 in the report appendices outlines how coverage was analysed. These can be found at http://www.scotland.gov.uk/Publications/2005/12/G8Econ .

G8 Summit

Alex Neil (Central Scotland) (SNP): To ask the Scottish Executive whether SQW Economic Development Consultants offset the cost of negative coverage of Scotland against their estimate of the cost of positive coverage of Scotland in relation to Gleneagles hosting the 2005 G8 summit, which they translated into an advertising equivalent value of £66.4 million between 2 and 11 July 2005 and £618 million in the wider six-month period in the lead up to the summit, as set out in their report, Economic Impact of Hosting the 2005 G8 Summit at Gleneagles .

Mr Tom McCabe: The industry standard methodology was employed independently by TNS Media Intelligence. First, the coverage was evaluated to give the total advertising value equivalent. Second, the tone was assessed to give an indication of positive, negative and neutral coverage.

G8 Summit

Alex Neil (Central Scotland) (SNP): To ask the Scottish Executive whether, when SQW Economic Development Consultants state in their report, Economic Impact of Hosting the 2005 G8 Summit at Gleneagles , that "estimating the wider costs of disruption is beyond the scope of this work", they were precluded from carrying out an analysis of the cost implications of disruption caused by the summit and costs of repairing damage to civic and private property caused by those in Scotland protesting at the presence of the summit.

Mr Tom McCabe: No such direction was given by the Scottish Executive at any stage.

G8 Summit

Alex Neil (Central Scotland) (SNP): To ask the Scottish Executive whether, when SQW Economic Development Consultants state in their report, Economic Impact of Hosting the 2005 G8 Summit at Gleneagles , that "the G8 has a particularly high profile in Scotland’s main tourism markets", they have treated any coverage of the 2005 G8 summit in these places as being automatically beneficial for the tourist industry.

Mr Tom McCabe: No such automatic relationship is assumed. These potential benefits have not been included in any of the monetary estimates of the economic impact in the report. However, I am confident that we will make the most of the longer term economic and business opportunities arising from the summit.

G8 Summit

Alex Neil (Central Scotland) (SNP): To ask the Scottish Executive what the effect would be of the 2005 G8 summit being held in Gleneagles in terms of the expenditure accrued by it, as opposed to the revenue accrued to the Scottish economy by the summit, if the revenue raised by the Make Poverty History march and Live 8 event were not included in the estimate made by SQW Economic Development Consultants in their report, Economic Impact of Hosting the 2005 G8 Summit at Gleneagles .

Mr Tom McCabe: Additional expenditure generated by visitors attending the Make Poverty History and Live 8 events is shown on page 15 of the report appendices, while the breakdown of short-term benefits is presented in table 1 on page iii of the main report. The report and appendices can be found at http://www.scotland.gov.uk/Publications/2005/12/G8Econ .

G8 Summit

Alex Neil (Central Scotland) (SNP): To ask the Scottish Executive, with reference to the use of advertising value equivalence by SQW Economic Development Consultants in their report, Economic Impact of Hosting the 2005 G8 Summit at Gleneagles , how readily it considers articles in the media about the 2005 G8 summit being hosted in Gleneagles can be equated with adverts showcasing Scotland as either a tourist destination or as a destination for inward investment.

Mr Tom McCabe: "Advertising value equivalents" and "opportunities to see" are standard industry techniques for measuring media coverage employed by TNS Media Intelligence who are experienced practitioners in this field. Both measures are included in the report. The increased awareness of Scotland that the G8 summit helped develop provided a great platform to develop our international work, building international links, and promoting Scotland not just as a great location for international events, but also as a great place to visit, live, work and study.

G8 Summit

Alex Neil (Central Scotland) (SNP): To ask the Scottish Executive how SQW Economic Development Consultants estimated that 37% of those taking part in the Make Poverty History march and 39% of those attending the Live 8 event were from outside Scotland, as set out in their report, Economic Impact of Hosting the 2005 G8 Summit at Gleneagles .

Mr Tom McCabe: A detailed description of the methodologies used in surveying those involved at the Make Poverty History March and the Live 8 event is set out in annex B of the report which can be found at  http://www.scotland.gov.uk/Publications/2005/12/G8Econ .

Health

Alasdair Morgan (South of Scotland) (SNP): To ask the Scottish Executive how many people have died from the effects of paracetamol overdose in each year since 1999.

Lewis Macdonald: The following table gives the numbers of deaths from poisoning where paracetamol (including compound preparations containing paracetamol) was known to be involved. The figures include deaths where other drugs were known to be involved. For some of these, the principal cause of death may not have been paracetamol poisoning.

  Deaths from Poisoning Involving Paracetamol, Scotland

  

 1999
 2000
 2001
 2002
 2003
 2004


 77
 120
 127
 117
 85
 107

Health

Mrs Nanette Milne (North East Scotland) (Con): To ask the Scottish Executive how many deaths have occurred as a result of liver cirrhosis in each year since 1985, broken down by (a) NHS board and (b) gender.

Lewis Macdonald: The information requested is given in the following tables.

  (a) Number of Deaths due to Liver Cirrhosis1, by NHS Board, Scotland, 1985-2004

  

 NHS Board
 1985
 1986
 1987
 1988
 1989
 1990
 1991
 1992
 1993
 1994


 Scotland
 306
 253
 260
 281
 234
 274
 267
 232
 276
 253


 Argyll and Clyde
 35
 24
 32
 32
 20
 30
 25
 24
 30
 23


 Ayrshire and Arran
 18
 25
 18
 22
 13
 30
 20
 10
 17
 11


 Borders
 3
 3
 -
 5
 1
 4
 3
 2
 3
 6


 Dumfries and Galloway
 8
 6
 14
 2
 8
 5
 5
 6
 6
 8


 Fife
 15
 12
 17
 12
 19
 14
 12
 7
 17
 14


 Forth Valley
 15
 7
 8
 13
 10
 13
 13
 20
 12
 11


 Grampian
 24
 25
 14
 14
 15
 16
 17
 9
 19
 24


 Greater Glasgow
 83
 68
 61
 73
 62
 70
 59
 52
 77
 57


 Highland
 9
 7
 7
 11
 8
 6
 13
 15
 10
 15


 Lanarkshire
 29
 33
 35
 43
 24
 32
 38
 36
 40
 35


 Lothian
 46
 24
 25
 37
 33
 35
 40
 29
 25
 37


 Orkney
 -
 5
 1
 3
 1
 1
 1
 1
 -
 -


 Shetland
 -
 -
 -
 1
 1
 1
 1
 1
 -
 2


 Tayside
 19
 12
 25
 13
 17
 15
 20
 20
 19
 10


 Western Isles
 2
 2
 3
 -
 2
 2
 -
 -
 1
 -



  

 NHS Board
 1995
 1996
 1997
 1998
 1999
 2000
 2001
 2002
 2003
 2004


 Scotland
 264
 284
 276
 263
 288
 305
 289
 298
 329
 298


 Argyll and Clyde
 28
 38
 28
 37
 37
 35
 40
 32
 27
 26


 Ayrshire and Arran
 15
 17
 25
 21
 20
 14
 14
 33
 29
 23


 Borders
 6
 5
 7
 11
 4
 4
 1
 9
 -
 11


 Dumfries and Galloway
 3
 3
 3
 2
 6
 5
 3
 5
 12
 5


 Fife
 14
 18
 9
 14
 12
 16
 9
 10
 19
 12


 Forth Valley
 13
 8
 19
 18
 14
 20
 24
 19
 17
 18


 Grampian
 26
 14
 21
 12
 26
 20
 21
 23
 27
 22


 Greater Glasgow
 63
 78
 56
 51
 57
 60
 64
 48
 61
 62


 Highland
 10
 11
 18
 12
 14
 16
 11
 17
 24
 11


 Lanarkshire
 32
 34
 35
 28
 31
 33
 37
 36
 28
 28


 Lothian
 36
 38
 31
 31
 49
 55
 42
 43
 55
 56


 Orkney
 1
 -
 -
 3
 -
 1
 4
 -
 -
 -


 Shetland
 -
 1
 2
 -
 -
 1
 1
 -
 1
 -


 Tayside
 15
 18
 22
 22
 17
 24
 18
 20
 28
 20


 Western Isles
 2
 1
 -
 1
 1
 1
 -
 3
 1
 4



  Note: 1. 1984-1999, ICD9 codes 571.2, 571.5, 571.6, 2000-04, ICD10 codes K70.3, K74.3-K74.6.

  (b) Number of Deaths Due to Liver Cirrhosis1, by Gender, Scotland, 1985-2004

  

 Year
 Persons
 Males
 Females


 1985
 306
 180
 126


 1986
 253
 146
 107


 1987
 260
 138
 122


 1988
 281
 156
 125


 1989
 234
 132
 102


 1990
 274
 156
 118


 1991
 267
 144
 123


 1992
 232
 123
 109


 1993
 276
 161
 115


 1994
 253
 138
 115


 1995
 264
 144
 120


 1996
 284
 168
 116


 1997
 276
 165
 111


 1998
 263
 154
 109


 1999
 288
 167
 121


 2000
 305
 192
 113


 2001
 289
 175
 114


 2002
 298
 180
 118


 2003
 329
 194
 135


 2004
 298
 190
 108



  Note: 1. 1984-1999, ICD9 codes 571.2, 571.5, 571.6, 2000-04, ICD10 codes K70.3, K74.3-K74.6.

  The figures presented above exclude deaths coded to "alcoholic liver disease, unspecified". The number of deaths coded to this more general cause has increased rapidly in recent years and it is generally accepted that a significant, but unknown, proportion of these deaths involves liver cirrhosis.

Health

Christine Grahame (South of Scotland) (SNP): To ask the Scottish Executive how many suicides there have been in each NHS board area in each year since 1999, broken down by month and into age groupings.

Lewis Macdonald: Tables presenting the information requested have been placed in the Scottish Parliament Information Centre (Bib. number 38684).

Legislation

Alex Neil (Central Scotland) (SNP): To ask the Scottish Executive how many of the 74 devolution issues dealt with by the Advocate-General ( Official Report , House of Commons, 15 November 2005; Vol. 439, c 808) were referred to her by the Executive or have involved discussions with the Executive and to what these issues related.

Colin Boyd QC: None were referred to the Advocate General by the Scottish Executive. Devolution issues are essentially questions which arise in court proceedings - predominantly in criminal cases - about whether legislation is within the legislative competence of the Scottish Parliament or whether an act is within the legal competence of a member of the Executive - the precise definition is set out in Schedule 6 to the Scotland Act 1998. That schedule also prescribes the procedures to be followed in relation to such issues, the effect of paragraph five being that any devolution issue intimated to the Advocate General will also be intimated to the Lord Advocate. Thus, the Executive will be aware of the same devolution issues as the Advocate General. If appropriate, there may be discussion between the Executive and the Advocate General but, given the generally ad hoc and run-of-the-mill nature of those discussions, there is no central record of their number and nature.

Local Government

Dr Elaine Murray (Dumfries) (Lab): To ask the Scottish Executive which local authorities are taking part in the modelling exercise exploring the potential for integrated service delivery within local areas, commissioned by the Minister for Finance and Public Service Reform, and when the outcome of the exercise will be made public.

Mr Tom McCabe: The Integrated Services Delivery and Governance Modelling Project currently involves the 27 local authorities set out in the list below. A wide range of their principal community planning partners and other public service organisations are also involved in the project at this time.

  It is intended to conclude the initial research phase of the project by April and I would hope to consider the project’s findings in early May this year. Shortly thereafter I hope to publish the principal findings.

  Aberdeen City Council

  Aberdeenshire Council

  Argyll and Bute Council

  City of Edinburgh Council

  Clackmannanshire Council

  Comhairles nan Eilean Siar/Western Islands

  Dumfries and Galloway Council

  East Ayrshire Council

  East Dunbartonshire Council

  East Lothian Council

  East Renfrewshire Council

  Falkirk Council

  Fife Council

  Glasgow City Council

  Highland Council

  Inverclyde Council

  Midlothian Council

  Moray Council

  North Ayrshire

  Orkney Islands Council

  Perth and Kinross Council

  Scottish Borders Council

  Shetland Council

  South Ayrshire Council

  Stirling Council

  West Dunbartonshire Council

  West Lothian Council.

Local Government

Michael Matheson (Central Scotland) (SNP): To ask the Scottish Executive what level of funding has been allocated to local authorities for improvement services and what the source of funding has been in each financial year since 2003.

Mr Tom McCabe: Local authorities are expected to provide for the cost of improving their services from their budget each year. There is a wide range of work aimed at improving services carried out by local authorities.

  The only Executive funding specified for improvement services, however, is the budget allocated to the Local Government Improvement Service. The Improvement Service was officially launched in April 2005 and its funding levels over the next three years have been set as:

  £1,700,000 in 2005-06;

  £1,655,000 in 2006-07, and

  £1,256,000 in 2007-08.

  The Improvement Service Grant Agreement requires the service to provide an updated Business Plan on an annual basis in order to receive funding.

Local Government

Michael Matheson (Central Scotland) (SNP): To ask the Scottish Executive whether it will provide a breakdown of the cost of improvement services for local authorities, including the level of funding used for commissioning consultants’ reports, in each financial year since 2003.

Mr Tom McCabe: Local authorities are expected to provide for the cost of improving their services from their budget each year. There is a wide range of work aimed at improving services carried out by local authorities.

  The only Executive funding specified for improvement services, however, is the budget allocated to the Local Government Improvement Service. The Improvement Service was officially launched in April 2005 and its funding levels over the next three years have been set as:

  £1,700,000 in 2005-06;

  £1,655,000 in 2006-07, and

  £1,256,000 in 2007-08.

  The Improvement Service Grant Agreement requires the service to provide an updated Business Plan on an annual basis in order to receive funding.

  It is open to the Improvement Service to commission consultants to undertake work to support their work with local authorities.

Maternity Services

Mrs Nanette Milne (North East Scotland) (Con): To ask the Scottish Executive what the largest maternity unit is in Scotland and how many births have been delivered at it in each of the last five years.

Lewis Macdonald: The information requested is shown in the table.

  Number of Births1 by Hospital, Calendar Years 1999-2003

  

 Hospital
 1999
 2000
 2001
 2002
 2003


 Simpson’s Memorial Maternity Pavilion/New Royal Infirmary, Edinburgh
 6,443
 6,333
 5,891
 5,589
 5,903



  Source: ISD Scotland.

  Note: 1 Where four or more babies are involved in a pregnancy, birth details are recorded only for the first three babies delivered.

Maternity Services

Mrs Nanette Milne (North East Scotland) (Con): To ask the Scottish Executive how many practising maternity units there have been in each year from 1980 to 2005 and what the reasons were for any closures.

Lewis Macdonald: The information requested is not held centrally.

  I refer the member to the answer to question S2W-20693 on 25 November 2005. All answers to written parliamentary questions are available on the Parliament’s website, the search facility for which can be found at http://www.scottish.parliament.uk/webapp/wa.search.

  A table showing number of births by hospital for years 1980-2003 is available in the Scottish Parliament Information Centre (Bib. number 38645). This shows the hospitals at which babies were delivered, but does not specify whether deliveries were in a maternity unit.

Maternity Services

Mrs Nanette Milne (North East Scotland) (Con): To ask the Scottish Executive what the ratio is of maternity units with 24-hour on-site consultant cover to those that do not have such cover and whether it will list The units in each category.

Lewis Macdonald: The information requested is not held centrally.

  I refer the member to the answer to question S2W-20693 on 25 November 2005. All answers to written parliamentary questions are available on the Parliament’s website, the search facility for which can be found at http://www.scottish.parliament.uk/webapp/wa.search.

Mental Health

Mrs Margaret Ewing (Moray) (SNP): To ask the Scottish Executive what recent assessment it has made of the level of funding for mental health services.

Lewis Macdonald: The overall level of health funding was assessed by ministers in Spending Review 2004. NHS boards are receiving record levels of funding to meet the health care needs, including mental health needs, of their resident populations.

Mental Health

Mrs Margaret Ewing (Moray) (SNP): To ask the Scottish Executive what steps it is taking to tackle any discrimination against people with mental illness who are seeking work.

Lewis Macdonald: The Scottish Executive has provided £2.178 million over the period 2002-05 to the See Me campaign to address stigma and discrimination. See Me has in process a dedicated strand of activity specifically aimed at the workplace.

  Scotland’s Health At Work programme includes the delivery of sustainable workplace training initiatives aimed at raising awareness of mental health and reducing stigma and discrimination in the general workforce.

  People with mental health problems are protected against discrimination by the Disability Discrimination Act 2005 (DDA) if they meet the DDA definition of disability.

  The area of employment and working life is one of six priority areas for action of the Scottish Executive’s National Programme for Improving Mental Health and Well-being with a focus on challenging attitudes and behaviours towards mental health and addressing discrimination.

Money Lending

Stewart Stevenson (Banff and Buchan) (SNP): To ask the Scottish Executive how many non-licensed money lenders it estimates operate in Scotland and how many prosecutions there have been against them since 1999, broken down by local authority area.

Malcolm Chisholm: The Scottish Executive has no estimates of numbers of non-licensed money lenders.

  There were no proceedings in 1999 to 2001 in Scottish courts for offences under the Consumer Credit Act 1974 s39(1), unlicensed trading, and one each in 2002 and 2003. It is not possible to break these figures down by local authority area.

Pensions

Carolyn Leckie (Central Scotland) (SSP): To ask the Scottish Executive what progress has been made, and what steps it has taken, to address the dispute in respect of the future of the Local Government Pension Scheme.

Mr Tom McCabe: I refer the member to the answer to question S2W-21675 on 17 January 2006 relating to the rule of 85 in the Local Government Pension Scheme in Scotland. Officials from the Scottish Public Pensions Agency, the Convention of Scottish Local Authorities (COSLA) and trade union representatives began discussions of possible protection or alternative provisions for existing members, at their meeting on 18 January. These discussions will continue at future meetings.

Planning

Murray Tosh (West of Scotland) (Con): To ask the Scottish Executive, further to the answer to question S2W-21459 by Malcolm Chisholm on 19 December 2005, what information it has on whether all revenue raised in Scotland from planning gain supplement will be returned to Scotland; whether the money will be paid directly to local authorities by HM Treasury or transferred to the Executive for distribution, and whether revenue raised in respect of development in a local authority area will be returned in full to that local authority.

Malcolm Chisholm: There is currently little information available on these issues in addition to that contained in the consultation paper Planning Gain Supplement: a consultation , issued by HM Treasury in December. These are issues on which views can be expressed on the consultation and we will discuss them further with HM Treasury. I can however confirm that, since HM Treasury has no direct funding relationship with Scottish local authorities, the money returned to Scotland, however, it may be assessed, will be distributed through the Executive.

Rendition Flights

Alex Neil (Central Scotland) (SNP): To ask the Scottish Executive what its opinion is of the claims by Swiss Senator, Dick Marty, in his report presented to the Legal Affairs and Human Rights Committee of the Council of Europe, that the allegations that the CIA has abducted and illegally transported terror suspects across European borders are credible in relation to the allegations that US agencies have used Scottish airports as refuelling stops for flights in which it is alleged that suspected terrorists are being carried to countries where the practice of torture is used for the purposes of interrogation.

Cathy Jamieson: The Scottish Executive will contribute as required to any UK response to Senator Marty’s report, once the report is published in full.

Rendition Flights

Alex Neil (Central Scotland) (SNP): To ask the Scottish Executive, further to the answer to question S2W-21768 by Colin Boyd QC on 13 January 2006, what it considers would be a "credible allegation" in respect of the on-going allegations that US agencies have been using the process of "extraordinary rendition", unlawfully facilitated through various Scottish airports.

Colin Boyd QC: It is unhelpful to speculate as to information which would constitute a credible allegation. This will vary depending upon the circumstances of the alleged offence. The police will carefully consider any information provided to them and will commence an investigation if there is specific information which justifies a criminal investigation.

Road Accidents

Richard Lochhead (North East Scotland) (SNP): To ask the Scottish Executive how many road deaths have been caused by drug driving in each of the last five years, including 2006, broken down by police force area and showing year-on-year percentage changes.

Tavish Scott: The information requested is not available.

  Data about injury road accidents are collected by the police and reported to the Scottish Executive using the Stats 19 statistical report form. Prior to 2005, these returns did not record any information about the causes of the accidents. However, limited information for 2005 and later years will become available in due course, as a new set of questions about the factors which may have contributed to the occurrence of accidents has been added to the Stats 19 returns.

Roads

Alex Neil (Central Scotland) (SNP): To ask the Scottish Executive, further to the answer to question S2W-21289 by Tavish Scott on 15 December 2005, whether it will provide details of the integral demand management measures that might be deployed on the route of the M80 on-line upgrade.

Tavish Scott: Integral demand management measures will be introduced to address specific traffic problems should they occur. Broadly speaking they could take the form of ramp metering or restrictions to the types of vehicles to control entry flows, or mainline metering to control flows on the motorway itself. Priority could be given to high occupancy and heavy goods vehicles. This issue was addressed at the Public Local Inquiry (PLI) held in October 2005. The Reporter is expected to make his recommendations to ministers in the spring of 2006. After considering the PLI Report Ministers will make a decision on the progression of the scheme.

  Transport Scotland has the operational responsibility for this area, and can be contacted for more information if required.

Roads

Alex Neil (Central Scotland) (SNP): To ask the Scottish Executive, further to the answer to question S2W-21285 by Tavish Scott on 15 December 2005, whether its use of the word "will" indicates that its plans to undertake an on-line upgrade of the A80 to full motorway status have been finalised, despite the reporter in the inquiry not having yet reported his findings.

Tavish Scott: The A80 upgrading was originally split into three parts. Draft line orders for Phase 1 were published on 19 December 2003 and the draft compulsory purchase order (CPO) on 13 April 2004. Draft orders for phases 2 & 3 were published on 26 November 2004 and the CPOs on 10 December 2004. Publication acknowledges that, subject to the receipt and consideration of objections, Scottish ministers would be content to proceed to construct the works described. Objections to the draft Orders for the M80 have been considered at Public Local Inquiry before a Reporter in October 2005 and I await his recommendations before deciding whether the scheme should proceed to construction and, if so, whether to the published details.

  I can confirm that my answer to question S2W-21285 was conditional on a future decision to proceed with the online improvement, should that decision be made.

  Transport Scotland has the operational responsibility for this area, and can be contacted for more information if required.

Roads

Alex Neil (Central Scotland) (SNP): To ask the Scottish Executive, further to the answer to question S2W-21283 by Tavish Scott on 15 December 2005, whether it considers that an on-line upgrade of the A80 to full motorway status provides more room for the construction of a hard shoulder than would be provided by routing the M80 through the identified Kelvin Valley Route.

Tavish Scott: Due to physical restrictions there would be a number of short lengths where an on-line route would not have hard shoulders. A design for a Kelvin Valley Route has not been developed to the same level of detail but I would not expect restrictions.

  Transport Scotland has the operational responsibility for this area, and can be contacted for more information if required.

Scottish Executive Records

Mrs Nanette Milne (North East Scotland) (Con): To ask the Scottish Executive how many of its records and those of the Scottish Office have been destroyed in the last ten years, broken down by (a) year (b) topic and (c) name.

Mr Tom McCabe: The numbers of Scottish Office/Scottish Executive files destroyed each year for the last 10 years is given below. It is not possible to break these figures down by topic or name, as this information either does not exist or could be provided only at disproportionate cost.

  

 Year
 Files Destroyed


 1996
 40,154


 1997
 56,850


 1998
 59,482


 1999
 96,654


 2000
 77,600


 2001
 70,676


 2002
 42,938


 2003
 34,239


 2004
 37,192


 2005
 16,222



  These file deletions followed the normal practices of the Executive whereby files are recommended for destruction in accordance with retention and disposal schedules agreed with the National Archives of Scotland (NAS) and only after reviewing officers are satisfied that they contain no papers that are likely to be of continuing or historic interest. No files are destroyed without the agreement of NAS, whose staff work alongside Executive staff to ensure that the proper procedures are followed.

Voluntary Sector

Murdo Fraser (Mid Scotland and Fife) (Con): To ask the Scottish Executive when the Social Economy Advisory Board, proposed in 2004 as part of Futurebuilders Scotland and announced by the Deputy Minister for Communities on 19 May 2005 ( Official Report c. 17079), will be operational and what the role and membership of the board will be.

Johann Lamont: We expect the Social Economy Advisory Board to be operational by March 2006. The board will advise ministers on the future development of the social economy. This will include advising on the Social Enterprise Strategy and the future development of the Futurebuilders Scotland programme. I expect to announce membership of the board shortly.

Voluntary Sector

Murdo Fraser (Mid Scotland and Fife) (Con): To ask the Scottish Executive what plans it has for a review of the Futurebuilders Scotland strategy and whether any such review would be overseen by the proposed Social Economy Advisory Board.

Johann Lamont: In December 2005 we published our policy statement A Vision for the Voluntary Sector – The Next Phase of Our Relationship , a copy of which is available on the Scottish Parliament Information Centre (Bib. number 38445) which noted that we will consider the next stages of Futurebuilders Scotland. The Social Economy Advisory Board will be asked to provide advice to ministers in relation to this.

Voluntary Sector

Linda Fabiani (Central Scotland) (SNP): To ask the Scottish Executive how many people between 16 and 25 years old have contacted Project Scotland since it was launched.

Linda Fabiani (Central Scotland) (SNP): To ask the Scottish Executive how many Scots have become volunteers as a result of Project Scotland.

Linda Fabiani (Central Scotland) (SNP): To ask the Scottish Executive how many subsistence allowances have been approved since the launch of Project Scotland.

Linda Fabiani (Central Scotland) (SNP): To ask the Scottish Executive how many young Scots have taken advantage of post-placement assistance from Project Scotland.

Malcolm Chisholm: I refer the member to the answer to question S2W-22379 on 24 January 2006. All answers to written parliamentary questions are available on the Parliament’s website, the search facility for which can be found at http://www.scottish.parliament.uk/webapp/wa.search .

Voluntary Sector

Linda Fabiani (Central Scotland) (SNP): To ask the Scottish Executive how many applications there have been to the Project Scotland personal development fund.

Linda Fabiani (Central Scotland) (SNP): To ask the Scottish Executive how many awards there have been from the Project Scotland personal development fund.

Linda Fabiani (Central Scotland) (SNP): To ask the Scottish Executive how many Project Scotland opportunities are located furth of Scotland.

Malcolm Chisholm: There has been exceptional interest from young people in Project Scotland. As of 13 January 2006, and since its launch in May 2005, Project Scotland has had over 6,500 enquiries leading to 1,100 applications and 324 volunteers in placements. 298 individuals have had a Project Scotland subsistence allowance approved. Post-placement assistance for Project Scotland Volunteers takes the form of the personal development fund, which was allocated up to £337,000 within the 2005-06 business plan. Of the 75 volunteers eligible to apply for the personal development fund, having completed their placement and volunteered for a minimum of six months, nine have applied and so far five personal development funds have been awarded. The remainder will be considered at the end of January. The initial focus for Project Scotland is to provide opportunities within Scotland, therefore no placements are currently located outside of Scotland.